Community groups DropIN on each other - Media Release Hon Tony Simpson MLA

More than 1,000 users have adopted a groundbreaking online collaboration tool to co-ordinate the delivery of vital community services throughout Western Australia.

Hosting a one-year update on the project, Community Services Minister Tony Simpson said the success of the DropIN website would help the 800 not-for-profit groups in WA share information and avoid duplication of expenses and effort.

The website at http://www.dropin.org.au is funded by the State Government and run by the Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS).

“As a government, we don’t want to be funding different groups to do the same projects, so if we can collaborate better we can make our dollars go further and provide more assistance to the people who need it most,” Mr Simpson said.

WACOSS has been overwhelmed with the take-up so far, with 1,446 users from groups dealing with homelessness, childcare, disability, aged care, volunteering and the like.

“As you can see, DropIN has enabled a diverse range of groups from across the State to collaborate on projects and share ideas about how to improve the provision of community services,” the Minister said.

“It’s satisfying to see groups sharing ideas for savings, social justice, new funding models or developing innovative practices. It encourages community organisations to capitalise on their joint strengths and reduce overlaps in service provision.”

DropIN is free to join for all community sector based networks in WA. It allows both open and closed membership groups to operate, and is an open forum for people to pitch ideas, seek support and network.

About one-quarter of users are from government agencies connecting with the community services sector on collaborative projects.